Poem by jacklyn janeksela

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plains of Colombia, this interior of my interior
jagged i crack, stomping concrete like it’s the new york jungle
i miss home, but i am home
Colombia, what have you done to me
there’s a man with glasses laughing at me
on the sideline, side street, alleyway, grave
he calls me “mona”
how could not i smirk; split i manage to stumble
to the gate of my home
leaves smell like soot and sleep and sex
crinkling in my pocket they sing
the song has no lyrics, just a woven pattern
tangling me; refined not so much, putrid and sweaty, yes, indeed
dred-lock nation, leather jacket beaten, and me
to stand at the top of a building-to fall, to plummet, to soar
don’t we all want some fresh air; imagine the impact
here is the hand of the same man, stretching towards me
digging my pockets he winces
what is it he’s looking for
side by side; me gazing up at stars-to catch
and at one point he winks
placed pebbles between my toes
from Suesca, Guatavita, Zipiquira
sisters and brothers; distant cousins to the heart beat of the concrete
i feel pre-pubescent; nearly newborn
in the grain of the wind i can see my initiation
the man again, pitching a tent in the middle of the street
honks and glares, bottles and flairs
inside he sits; he’s on the inside of it all
i realize that’s where i should be
i lift a foot to cross the street

jacklyn janeksela is a poet and other things. she was living in Colombia where she started the idea to make music; now she is in Prague making music with her husband. she is difficult and dedicated and hope it shows through her work. her cat named rabbit is a muse.

Ira Joel Haber was born and lives in Brooklyn. He is a sculptor, painter, book dealer, photographer and teacher. His work has been seen in numerous group shows both in USA and Europe and he has had 9 one man shows including several retrospectives of his sculpture. His work is in the collections of The Whitney Museum Of American Art, New York University, The Guggenheim Museum, The Hirshhorn Museum and The Albright-Knox Art Gallery. Since 2007 His paintings, drawings, photographs and collages have been published in over 160 on line and print magazines. He has received three National Endowment for the Arts Fellowships, two Pollock-Krasner grants, the Adolph Gottlieb Foundation grant and, in 2010, he received a grant from Artists’ Fellowship Inc. He currently teaches art to retired public school teachers at The United Federation of Teachers program in Brooklyn.